Monica Lewinsky Invited to Summit, Then Is Uninvited When Bill Clinton Decides to Go

By: Mackenzie Wright | May 10, 2018

Monica Lewinsky has suffered a number of indignities thanks to former President Bill Clinton, and apparently, the jabs are still coming. The former most famous intern in White House history was invited to a philanthropic event and was slated to go, until the event managed to book Clinton at the last minute.

To avoid embarrassment, Lewinsky's invitation was promptly rescinded.

Town & Country Magazine held its annual Philanthropy Summit on Wednesday. Lewinsky was initially invited, along with a host of other big names, such as model Karlie Kloss and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The day of the event, Lewinsky Tweeted, "Dear world: please don't invite me to an event (esp one about social change) and --then after I've accepted-- uninvite me because Bill Clinton then decided to attend/was invited. It's 2018. Emily Post would def not approve."

She added an emoticon of a hand making a peace sign.

Soon after, she added a P.S.: "And definitely, please don't try to ameliorate the situation by insulting me with an offer of an article in your mag."

Even though Lewinsky didn't mention the name of the magazine or the event, it was pretty easy to find out which one to which she was referring. The former President attended the gala and welcomed Parkland school shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez.

Angel Ureña, Clinton's press secretary, responded to the situation after news outlets began reporting Lewinsky's posts. "President Clinton was invited to address the Town & Country Philanthropy Summit. He gladly accepted. Neither he nor his staff knew anything about the invitation or it being rescinded."

Not everyone was impressed with the magazine's decision to ditch Lewinsky in favor of Clinton. Film producer Judd Apatow defended Lewinsky, reminding them of the Democratic party's position on the treatment of women.

"This is what everyone is fighting against," He tweeted. "@townandcountry should be ashamed of themselves. Do they let their heads of the magazine prey on their interns? Would they disinvite them after abusing their power to get what they wanted from them?"

Lewinski and Clinton's names became forever intertwined in 1998. The then-president was having an affair with Lewinski, who was a 24-year-old intern in the White House. The news of the affair leaked, along with recordings of Lewinsky talking about the affair to someone she thought was a confidant.

The scandal caused Clinton to be impeached, and during the hearing, many of the lurid details were made public. Hillary Clinton, who would go on to become a senator, a secretary of state, and a failed presidential candidate, called the whole incident a ‘right-wing conspiracy’ against her husband.

Eventually, the charming president was forgiven. Clinton remained in office, went on to have a lucrative career (hauling in six-figure salaries for a single speech), and is one of the most powerful men in his party, if not the world.

Lewinsky, unfortunately, did not have the clout or the power to come out of the scandal unscathed. She became the butt of jokes and was villainized, effectively having her career ruined in one swipe. It was slut-shaming at its finest, perpetuated by the media and people occupying the highest offices in the land.

Lewinsky is not hiding anymore, though, and social media has given her the voice that the mainstream Clinton-loving news outlets have not. Clinton is still getting a free pass for his womanizing, sexist ways, though, even as his family paints themselves as champions of women.